The Production Assistant’s Pocket Handbook: Because Nobody Has Time to Tell You What You Need to Know, and: Film Crew 101: Tips, Tricks & Secrets for Success from Motion Picture Professionals, and: Media Career Guide 7: Preparing for Jobs in the 21st Century (review)

As we attempt to recover from one of the worst recessions in American history, never have our students had so many opportunities when it comes to plying their trade in film and video. Although the competition may be fierce, our graduates now benefit from the convergence of film and video in both the television and film industries and from an unheard-of expansion in the media fueled by the growth of the Internet, the World Wide Web, and new video platforms.

Three recent guides provide excellent information for those who wonder just what is available out there and how one may best apply for those positions. One overviews all of those positions that fall under the communications rubric, and the other two zealously zero in on jobs in film. (It should go without saying that the best first step for anyone interested in media careers is a review of the annually updated online Bureau of Labor Statistics data and a thorough search of the always-expanding Internet.)

The first two of these three guides serve as excellent introductory resources for all prospective filmmakers, although Clark’s Production Assistant’s Pocket Handbook might well be called “What Every Grip Should Know” and specifically targets those who are seeking a way into professional filmmaking (i.e., that first job). The bad news is that “P.A.s do everything nobody else wants to do” (6); they routinely find themselves at the bottom of the film crew hierarchy, working long hours for minimal pay with little respect. The good news is that the inexperienced can find film work as production assistants and that as bad as the bottom might be, the only way out is up. The great news, as Clark wryly notes, is that “[t]here are very few old P.A.s in the world” (55). Pay attention, and do everything you are asked (and do it well), and you will move up quickly.

Clark first (self-) published his comments back in 1992; this third edition is now available both as a paperback and as a downloadable PDF (Lulu.com has made its mark as a user-generated publisher that offers its online authors an 80/20 split). This latest edition goes beyond the basics of gripping and gaffing—in addition to chapters on set etiquette, lock downs, and gear, Clark discusses driving, getting the job, and making mistakes; offers a brief glossary and a look at film schools and “tools of the future”; and even offers his thoughts for those who (you probably saw this coming) “really want to direct.”

Peter Clarson’s Film Crew 101 expands on Clark’s guide for production assistants to incorporate info on all film crew positions. As such, it is an excellent introductory guide to professional moviemaking, as well as a ready resource for neophytes who have no idea what a key grip is or what gaffers do.

This is essentially a vanity press product (do not confuse Clear Blue Sky Press with Scholastic’s Blue Sky Press) that may not be easy to locate (although the publisher does offer discounts for direct purchases in bulk “by schools or professors”). Included in this must-have (if relatively obscure) guide are duties of the film crew, definitions of four hundred film terms, two dozen travel tips for the ever-itinerant crew member, twelve “reel resume” tips, and thirty-six tips on set etiquette. It wraps with eighteen profiles of film...